When Lightning Strikes
by smile1
Summary: Literati! -One Parter- (FLUFF:Softer than marshmallows, sweeter than candy.) As lightning struck and lit up the pitch black (bed)room, he slithered one arm around her waist. 'It's just thunder.' She shivered. 'Can you stay awake with me' 'If I have to.'


Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Thanks again to _Alexia _for beta-ing and helping me to improve my writing. :-) Please, don't skip through the A/N at the bottom, though I'm not sure if it's important...

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When Lightning Strikes

As lightning struck and lit up the pitch black room, streaking it with an array of yellows for a slight second, Rory's eyes followed an invisible path over to the too large window across her side of the bed. Frilly curtains covered it - curtains that should have been removed months ago, but she hadn't thought of for just as long. It never seemed important to her, curtains or what shade they were in. She barely noticed them, hardly took the time to look at them and never cared. Neither did he, otherwise he would have said something to her about it, about the too sweet color and awfully girlish fabric. They appeared to share the same thought on that subject. There were more substantial and significant matters to worry about, to argue about. The two pieces of fabric were there for a purpose and that was all that mattered in their eyes. It shaded the sun from them during the day and protected them from the obscurity at night. Besides, they looked cozy, homey even, and he liked them because they reminded him of her in a way.

Usually, it would have given her a sheltered feeling, lying in her bed with the door of the room protectively closed and the covers pulled up to her chin, listening to the rain as it soothingly tapped against the window, often lulling her back to sleep. Tonight however, the thunder that could be heard in the background and the frequent flashes of lightning were what kept her awake; she couldn't sleep peacefully with Mother Nature roaming around so chaotically.

She heard the rain speed up and shivered, slipping down further underneath the covers. Even with them, she was left feeling cold and shivering with every crack of lightning. As thunder made itself known in the distance, Rory snuggled closer to the figure laying next to her, in search of comfort, her body fitting into the crook of his perfectly. She curled up against him, her back against his chest and her clad legs against his bare ones, searching for the heat she lacked.

Her subtle, but noticeable movements woke him enough for him to become aware of the intimate position they were in. With his eyes closed, he slithered one arm around her waist and slid his hand underneath the hem of her tank top, sprawling out his fingers flat against her stomach. Rory smiled and placed her hand on top of his, their skin separated only by the thin fabric, the angular bones of his knuckles pressing against the palm of her hand. Moments later, she felt the moistness of his lips against the nape of her neck. The kiss was swift, but his face remained hidden within the slender nook of her neck, caught between her hair and shoulders. She could feel his breath against her skin as he spoke, giving her goose bumps.

''It's just thunder.''

''I know,'' she returned softly, her eyes impulsively going to the window, making sure that the curtains were properly closed, revealing no cracks of any kind.

He felt the pressure of her hand increase as if she was trying to entwine their fingers through the fabric. He didn't do anything to help her accomplish her attempts, but he didn't pull back his hand, either. ''Can't sleep?''

''No.'' She brought her body even closer to his and he responded by slipping one of his legs in between hers and pulling her even closer.

Rory moaned in satisfaction. She enjoyed moments like these - moments that made her smile, that made her happy. She had always liked to be near him, close to him, touching as much of his body with her own without having to take the next step. ''Jess.''

''Mmhhh,'' he sleepily replied.

''Can you stay awake with me?''

''I have to work tomorrow,'' he said, giving her a reason that could be dismissed with ease.

''Please, just until I fall asleep?''

The request was innocent, of a slightly childish character even. It was sweet. It made him want to be even closer, increase their proximity by the last remaining inches. He wrapped his leg tighter around hers. ''If I have to,'' he said.

Rory smiled and gave into him completely, though her eyes kept watch on the window. Their silence was interrupted only by the occasional thunder and soothing sound of the rain as it let its drops fall to the ground and tap against their window, taking the edge off the storm ever so slightly. She knew that he had probably gone back to sleep, but believing that he hadn't was enough for her. She tried closing her eyes, but she couldn't go back to sleep. As another lightening bolt struck, she shrank back into Jess's figure.

There was a sudden change in his breathing, a small one as the hand on her stomach pressed itself against it more securely. ''I want to look at you,'' he whispered before gently raking his teeth over the sensitive skin of her neck, adding just enough intensity to create a chilling sensation.

''Jess,'' she breathed shakily, not knowing just yet if she wanted him to continue or not. She gasped as he started to draw small circles on her stomach with his index finger leisurely, slow enough to drive her out of her mind. ''Jess,'' she repeated. ''I can't fall asleep when you're doing...doing that,'' she said with a fair amount of difficulty, having trouble forming words as his hand slid down from under her shirt and coming to a halt just above the waistband of her sweatpants.

''I thought you couldn't sleep,'' he said, arousing an amount of guilt she didn't even knew she held.

''You're being unfair,'' she replied, the pout evident in her voice.

''And you woke me,'' he countered, another skillful move. He knew her too well for her own good. He removed his hand from her waist and untangled their legs, leaving her in confusion, wondering if she might have offended him in some unexplainable way.

''Jess.'' She waited patiently for his reply, knowing that he liked to play games sometimes, but none came. ''Jess,'' she tried again, but he remained as silent as a mouse.

Unsure in her confusion, she shifted, turning herself so that she was lying on her other side, facing him, taking in his shadowed features, attempting to read him, but failing miserably. His eyes were closed and she didn't bother to look further; in the dark nothing else mattered. ''Jess,'' she said, the name flowing out between her lips fluently, stirring him with its tenderness.

His lower lip twitched ever so slightly, though the rest of his face remained untouched by the cautiousness of her tone. She caught the small movement with ease and placed her left hand on the lower half of his abdomen, feeling how it suddenly shifted underneath the fabric of his t-shirt, almost flinching at her delicate touch. When no other reaction came, she started to drag her hand up at a teasingly slow pace, raking her fingers from his stomach up to his chest. She felt his muscle tense up underneath her fingers and looked up, wanting to see if he was looking at her. He was. He impatiently waited for her eyes to cross his before dipping his head a little and capturing her lips with his own.

Rory dug her nails into his shirt and clawed at it, pulling him closer so the weight of his lips became heavier and the kiss deeper. She parted her lips voluntarily, almost on cue as his tongue sought out hers. She moaned and he smiled. Unable to maintain their current position, he pulled back, his smile widening once he could see her face, the expression on it close to indignant. She misunderstood his reaction, not realizing that she herself had caused it. ''What?'' she finally asked, not longer wanting to guess at the reason behind the amusing glimmer in his eyes.

''How am I supposed to control myself when you do something like that?'' he genuinely remarked.

''Don't,'' Rory hastily said, not thinking about her reply until it had already come out of her mouth. Once she comprehended what she had said, a blush colored her features a light shade of red, leaving her with a feeling of embarrassment because she wasn't used to blurting out her feelings like that. True, she knew how to speak her mind, but when it came to what she was feeling, she wasn't as open as some would think.

Jess kept looking at her, in awe of the brave face she was trying to put on by keeping her eyes locked with his. The way her mind worked was still a mystery to him, but he knew how to read her eyes and interpret her body language. She couldn't keep any secrets from him unless they were hidden deep in her mind, far away from her own knowledge. Over time he had learned all of her secrets, big and small. How she didn't like to wear dresses because she could feel her legs brush against each other with every step, how she still held a grudge against her father for not being a part of her life and how she was afraid of thunder and lightning, though it wasn't so much the thunder as it was the lightning.

This night, he had known that she would wake him. He had watched the weather report on TV this morning, right before he had gone t to work where he had already taken tomorrow morning off in anticipation of what was to come. He knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until early in the morning, wanting to keep an eye on Rory whether she was awake or asleep. It had rapidly become a habit, one he enjoyed because of how she looked at him for comfort. It made him feel needed, more than just one of the guys in her life, though he apprehended that he was so much more than that, more than he could ever understood. But what he did understand was that on days like these - on days where lightning would strike, it would make them search for each other in the darkness.

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REVIEW! Please? :-) I don't have as much time on my hands to write as I would want, but I guess I will just have to take what I can get and that's why am I taking such a long time to update stories. I enjoy writing and want to take pride in it, but in order to do that I will have to take the time to write those chapters. Plus, I really want to start working on some original stories so...I can't really say when I'll be able to update what story, but I can say that I am trying my best...even if my best includes meaningless one parters like this one... I just need to write at least once a week and it depends on the time what comes out. :-)


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